Planeswalker. Elder Dragon. Tyrant of Worlds. Nicol Bolas is one of the oldest known beings in the Multiverse—he has lived for many millennia. His malevolence is matched only by his boundless intellect.

Nicol Bolas has survived multiple wars, cataclysms, and rivalries: the dragon war that left only five of the elders alive, the destruction of his Madaran Empire on Dominaria at the hands of Tetsuo Umezawa, and epic duels with the planeswalkers Leshrac and Teferi. He also survived The Mending, the healing of the Multiverse that changed the very nature of the spark and cost several planeswalkers their lives. Bolas left Dominaria as it crumbled in the time before The Mending, implying that it couldn't be saved. "I have prepared a suitable place for myself in that eventuality," he said before departing through the Talon Gates.

In fact Bolas has already begun to plot his next scheme for power. His ‘suitable place’ is the five shards of Alara, which Bolas has been watching for decades. Long ago he began to recruit agents on the shards—individuals and even entire groups who would secretly do his bidding. These agents have subtly, secretly sown the seeds of dissent on each shard, creating chaos and conflict. Why? Only Nicol Bolas knows the truth: The shards of Alara are reconverging into a single plane. And when that reconvergence comes, Bolas wants all-out planar war for reasons unknown to any but himself.

Before The Mending, planeswalkers were ageless shapeshifters whose power was limited only by their experience and knowledge. Bolas had that godlike power torn away from him, and he will go to any lengths to get it back. But it will take countless machinations and maneuverings, even for the oldest and most powerful planeswalker of all. For Nicol Bolas, all the power in the Multiverse is not enough.